ANNOUNCEMENT

My Erin Blake forensic mystery series To Catch A Killer and To Right The Wrongs is getting a sibling. Please welcome: 

Co-written with my husband, Jerry Piatt.

Like any new tech, the Tesla Model 3 is amazing and fun. It’s also about as different from driving a regular car as using an iPhone was different from a flip phone. (Remember those?) While I was learning about my car I read so many comments on forums where the husband wanted to buy a Tesla, but his wife was concerned it might be too technical for her. I get it! I have trouble working the TV remotes in our house and I’m technical! 

When I realized that no one had written the User’s Guide yet I knew this was a project custom-made for Jerry and me. Jerry is a software engineer who speaks “deep geek.” While I can handle the “don’t worry about that, just do this” portion of the instructions. 

This book is a deeply researched, fully-functional user’s guide, mixed with real-world experience, presented in both technical and basic terms which should appeal to Tesla owners and the Tesla curious alike. This project was well-suited to the self-publishing platform, so we have immersed ourselves into learning that as well. 

I believe it’s important for writers to be introspective about their work and to know why they are driven to pour time, energy and emotion into a particular project. The Tesla Guide was born out of sheer love and admiration for both the car and its creator Elon Musk. But this work coincided with Greta Thunberg addressing world leaders at the UN and labeling this moment in time as the beginning of a mass extinction. Trust me, I feel her words deeply. Before the Tesla, I drove a Prius. We installed solar panels on our house. And we are fortunate that our electricity comes from clean hydro-power. Like most people we know, we do everything we can. 

There is a lot of misinformation about electric vehicles. In fact, a lot of FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) is promoted and/or paid for by the fossil fuel industry. Writing a book that might help others feel comfortable and maybe even excited about the inevitable transition from fossil fuel to electric-powered vehicles is something I felt driven to do. 

Does this mean I’m abandoning mystery writing? No, it absolutely does not! 

Now that the Tesla User’s Guide is out in the world (and out of my hair), I’m back furiously working on a slightly wacky adult mystery and after that I’m on to book THREE in the Erin Blake series—tentatively titled To Die In The Dark! 

If you have any questions about Teslas or know anyone in the market for one, please point them our way—zero emissions FTW! 

And check out our new website: TeslaModel3Guide.com (which should be live by the end of the week!)